


Welcome to the New Age

by Victoria_Sapphire



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Gen, POV First Person, Post-Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-16
Updated: 2020-05-26
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:33:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 1,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23166280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Victoria_Sapphire/pseuds/Victoria_Sapphire
Summary: It's been years since the near-total extermination of the human race at the hands of the atom bomb. The few remaining survivors are struggling to acclimate to their new environment.That's what theywantyou to believe, however.What actually happened was the angels above released a series of smitings (before the end of the civil war in Heaven) after the rebellion was taken to Earth. All the angels siding with Raphael unleashed a mass-destruction of every major outpost the traitor leader Castiel and his ragtag band of soldiers set up. This affected the American government so much, they believed they were under attack from foreign powers. They then began World War III.A traveler wandering through the lands of what used to be Kansas came across the old Men of Letters bunker. He found some audio logs from some strange man claiming to be an angel inside. Curious, he gave them a listen.These are their transcripts...
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> The following changes were made (that don't get mentioned in the story):
> 
> \- They knew about the Men of Letters's bunker since the Season 5 apocalypse.

A man wanders through the bowels of an underground bunker just outside of what used to be Lebanon, Kansas. It seems to be a shelter of some sort for kooks paranoid about the supernatural. It's in surprisingly good condition, especially considering everything that happened all those years ago...

The man opens a cardboard box he found in what used to be the storage room. It's weathered and worn, and inside is a plethora of audio logs, each one labeled with dates and locations. He digs through and finds the fist one (at least, he _thinks_ it's the first one; there could be more out there).

The tape is labelled "August 14, 2013: Men of Letters Bunker; Lebanon, Kansas". The man is taken by surprise. The current date is February 23, 2054. This must've been from when the bombs first dropped. Curious, he digs through to find the latest one. To his surprise, the latest tape is labelled "February 20, 2054: Columbus, Ohio".

 _These people are still leaving recordings,_ he thinks. _That is, if it's still the same person. Shouldn't they be dead by now?_

Nonetheless, the man digs out his tape player and pops the first one in, listening to the recording.


	2. Tape #1: August 13, 2013: Men of Letters Bunker; Lebanon, Kansas

[ _The sound of a button clicking and whirring from inside can be heard. A man clears his throat._ ]

MAN: Is this thing on? [ _His voice is gravelly and low_ ] Good. My name is Castiel. I was the leader of an angelic rebellion. I know that sounds crazy to people who don't believe in such things, but I have an explanation.

I myself am an Angel of the Lord, ranking Seraphim. As far as I know, I am the only seraph left. For all I know, even all the other angels could be dead. I don't know why I'm the only one who survived, but as far as I'm concerned, I don't _care_ why I might be the only one left. 

As to what _actually_ happened, it was not atomic fire that initially consumed the Midwest. It was a mass smiting conducted by the angels under the archangel Raphael. They rallied themselves together and decided that it would be enough to defeat me. They were wrong. 

[ _The man, CASTIEL, coughs again. This time, it sounds phlegm-y and unhealthy_ ]

After my group took the smiting, I decided, along with my friends--no, _family_ \--Dean and Sam Winchester, that I would absorb all the souls in Purgatory to hopefully return the place to normal. Unfortunately, that only made problems worse, as in my power-hungry state, I seemed to forget that it wasn't just me fighting against Raphael. I slaughtered dozens of my own men under the mere suspicion that they were working against me. 

If you know anything about Purgatory, then you know the monsters aren't the only quote "souls" unquote in it. There's also the Leviathans. They are the primordial creatures God created before he made the archangels. They're always hungry, and they never know how to catch a break. When they were in my body, it was like I was in the passenger seat of a car. I couldn't control anything they made my body do, which means I did awful things under the guise of "their new God".

I knew about them before I took on the burden of all those souls, but I thought the results would be good enough to outweigh the risk. I thought I would be strong enough to keep them under control. I thought wrong. 

This is all my fault. If I hadn't done that, then...

[ _CASTIEL takes a shaky breath in. Everything he says after is in a shaky, wavering voice, as if he is about to cry_ ]

If I hadn't have done that, then everyone I cared about would still be alive. Bobby, Dean, Sam, _everyone_ I know and love is dead because of my stupid plan. 

They were all killed from a combination of being with me when the angels attacked and when the souls were put back in Purgatory. 

I feel awful for being time only one left. 

Why was out me? _How_ was it me? I was the one hosting thirty-five million souls in my body. What was the purpose of my resurrection?

[ _CASTIEL sighs and groans. The sound of crinkling paper can be heard. When he speaks again, CASTIEL sounds more put-together._ ]

I've looked through everything we have here, but there's nothing to even _indicate_ an answer. But I think that's enough rambling. I have research to do. 

[ _The sound of more whirring and clicking cam be heard as the tape stops recording_ ]


	3. Tape #2: August 20, 2013: Men of Letters Bunker; Lebanon, Kansas

[ _Whirring and clicking can be heard as CASTIEL begins recording again. This time, a clinking sound is barely audible_ ]

 **CASTIEL** : I haven't come any closer to answers. Day by day, the guilt I feel gets worse with the increasing possibility that I might actually be the only angel left in heaven after Raphael's little "extermination".

I haven't seen the outside world in a week and a half. I don't see the purpose when I could just stay down here. I don't need food or water, so I don't even have to leave to get it.

[ _CASTIEL pauses. The clinking can be heard again. It is shortly followed by the sound of a glass being set down on the table. As CASTIEL begins speaking again, his words are slightly more slurred._ ]

If I knew any better, I'd say that I could stay holed up here for the rest of this Earth's pitiful lifespan. Unfortunately, I don't think the bunker would last today long despite its sturdy architecture. [ _CASTIEL hiccups_ ].

But enough on the sad side and more on the good! [ _A scraping sound can be heard alongside the sounds of someone moving around. The faint footfalls on a tile floor can be heard._ ]. I think I drank all the alcohol in the bunker, so if I were to go out it would be to get more whiskey.

[ _A gas stove sputters to life in the background. A cabinet opens and closes, shortly followed by the clattering of pots and pans._ ]

And now I eat out of force of habit. It's not a pleasurable experience. [ _CASTIEL hiccups again._ ] If you could taste every molecule in your food, you wouldn't exactly call it a quote "pleasurable experience" unquote. 

I'm planning on getting out of the bunker soon just to see how bad the world had become. I _need_ to see what's become of the world since I seemed top have royally screwed it over. 

[ _Whirring and clicking can be heard before the recording stops._ ]


	4. Tape #3: August 27, 2013: Rolling Hills Cemetery; Lawrence, Kansas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't know/remember the name of the cemetery where Mary *was* buried was called, so I just pulled a name out of a metaphorical hat. If I'm wrong, feel free to correct me!

[ _Whirring and clicking becomes audible as the recording begins. The sound of chirping birds and the barely-there whistle of the wind can be heard. The silence extends for a relatively long period of time. Finally, after two minutes of silence apart from the sounds of nature, CASTIEL speaks again._ ]

**CASTIEL** : Where I'm standing right now used to be Mary Winchester's grave. Dean would come here all the time when he needed guidance. I suppose that's what I'm doing right now.

It still surprises me how much things have changed. I guess I shouldn't be too shocked, considering everything that's happened. But what surprises me _more_ is how little Lawrence has changed since Dean last showed me his mother's grave.

I don't understand how that worked; the angels' smiting should've destroyed everything around here. It _should_ be a barren wasteland for miles. But it's not.

The grass is still green, and the wind still blows through the trees. _Birds_ are here and _alive_. Birds! That shouldn't be possible! So _why_? Because if the angels' smiting didn't destroy it, the atomic bombs dropped all across the country should've destroyed it.

I guess that's one thing we'll never know. At least Mary Winchester can rest in peace.

[ _The sound of whirring and clicking can be heard once more as the tape ends_.]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for such the short chapter! I realized I hadn't updated in a couple weeks, so I tried thinking of something quick to not leave the one person invested in this hanging.


	5. Tape #4: September 5, 2013: Unspecified Location

[ _The start-up whirs and clicks can be heard once again. Dirt and rocks crunch underfoot as CASTIEL wanders around. The sound of shuffling debris permeates the air, accompanied by the sound of shifting fabric. This time, the sounds of nature cannot be heard in favor of the empty wind._ ]

**CASTIEL:** Thus far, I have not seen anything like this. This must have been where the bombs first dropped because an angel attack would _not_ look like this. And there's a certain tanginess to the air. I've only felt that after exploring Hiroshima and Nagasaki after America bombed them.

If I could guess, I would say this was bombed by the humans instead of the work of an angel. That's such a shame.

God gave them such a beautiful world to live in, yet they trash it with their nuclear bombs and pollution and overhunting. Why can't they accept the good things that were given to them? Why do they have to take everything for granted?

I can't believe it. I can't believe they'd do something like this. Why? _Why_ would they do something like this? I-I...

I need some time to process.

[ _The familiar sounds of the tape ending can be heard once again._ ]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, I apologize for such a short chapter. 
> 
> It's not that I feel burnout on this story or anything; I just have trouble thinking of a plot line. When I started writing this story, I didn't have much of a direction I wanted to go with it other than "Castiel roaming the wastes of America after the nuclear holocaust". I kind of want there to be an overarching plot line that emerges eventually. The only idea that I've got for it is "Castiel hears of some kind of tech the government was experimenting with that could bring the dead back to life" (he'd be searching for it because he doesn't trust his powers after the whole god/leviathan incident).
> 
> Please tell me what y'all think of that. If you don't like it, please give me some ideas that you want to see!


End file.
